Chasing eco-voters in the 10th District
Despite his office being bombarded with calls from rabid, out-of-state Rush Limbaugh listeners, Mark Kirk did a good job of representing his district when he became one of eight Republicans who voted for the Waxman-Markey energy and jobs bill.
Now that he's running for US Senate, his district is a top target for Democrats. Announced candidates are already appealing to eco-voters in the 10th Congressional.
I'm pretty far from the district, but I know about the strong environmental record of Julie Hamos, who declared her candidacy today. She has been particularly outspoken on the Clean Car Act and energy efficiency, which are both mentioned on her issues page.
I just got an email about another candidate, Elliot Richardson. I've never heard of him before but I like that this is the first issue he raises on the front page of his website:
The goal of energy independence is consistent with our mission to protect our environment. I will be a champion for the environment because our children deserve to inherit a healthy planet.
I'll be interested to hear where he stands on the tougher details as the campaign advances.
Dan Seals will run again. His previous campaigns included a strong environmental platform and that's probably one reason why Mark Kirk improved his green voting record over the last several years.
On the Republican side, there's talk of State Representative Beth Coulson, who has one of the best environmental records in her party.
So, there's no shortage of choices for voters concerned about energy and the environment. I don't plan to write about this race too often since any hot election in northern Cook and Lake county is sure to generate more than enough blogs by voters in the district. But, it should be fun to watch a primary debate between several candidates with appealing platforms in a district where the environment will be a determining issue.